On Ice
by Luna Darkside
Summary: Shinichi is somehow roped into teaching the Kaitou Kid how to ice skate. Falling (in more ways than one) ensues. /ShinKai, oneshot, complete - Merry Christmas!/


_**AU Information: **__Shinichi, Kaito, Ran, etc. are ~20 years old. Shinichi returned ~3 years ago after ~1 year as Conan._

_**Pairings: **__Slow-burn Shinichi x Kaito / Kaito x Shinichi (it's just about reversible this time around, I'd say), Shinichi x Ran, Eisuke x Ran, mentioned Hakuba x Aoko… yeah, that's about it._

_**Warnings: **__Shounen-ai (if that wasn't completely obvious or anything), the author (namely me) being completely terrible at ice skating… yet writing a fic about ice skating… please connect the dots here… Also, stupid fluff plot is stupid and fluffy. Yeah._

_**Point of view: **__Third-person limited; linebreakers (mostly) denote changes between Shinichi and Kaito's perspectives (they sometimes mean time skips, too :D). Thought I'd mention this in case it got confusing or something._

_Merry Christmas, everyone! Not sure if this idea has been done before, but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this present! It took forever and a week to write. – Luna_

**On Ice**

Kudou Shinichi stared wordlessly down at the sticky note stuck to the case report open on his desk, motionless and blank-faced.

Police officers walked past his desk, wondering why, exactly, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force's special consultant had been staring at the same spot on the case report for nearly ten minutes now. Their hushed muttering apparently didn't reach Shinichi, who didn't move a millimeter.

Takagi Wataru was finally elected to approach the frozen detective, cautiously prodding his right shoulder. "U-Uh, Kudou-kun, are you all right?" he asked, one eyebrow lifted.

Shinichi started and flipped the folder shut so fast a few papers drifted out from the force. "Oh, Officer Takagi. I'm fine," he answered, and Takagi's other eyebrow disappeared behind his bangs.

His expression skeptical, Takagi slowly said, "If you say so, Kudou-kun. Inspector Megure wants that report when you're done…" He trailed off, nodded once, and carried on.

Waiting until the police officer was out of sight, Shinichi reopened the case file and peeled the sticky note off, folding it into fourths and tucking it into his pocket.

He took a quick glance at the clock, scowled, and headed for the hallway.

"Kudou-kun? Where are you going?" called Inspector Megure from his desk, rising to his feet.

"I've got an emergency," the consultant tossed over his shoulder. "Oh, and about that case file? It's the butler. The victim drove his son to suicide." With that, Shinichi gave a brief nod and left.

The inspector blinked.

"Is he not going to say how?"

* * *

Skirting around the secretary's desk as well as the puzzled look she sent him, Shinichi pushed open the front door of the headquarters, shivering at the sudden cold wind that hit him eagerly. He tucked his hands into his pocket, and ducked his face deeper into the scarf huddled around his neck.

He started for the crosswalk, breath white and ghostly in the air. As Shinichi waited for the light to change, he lifted the folded paper out of his pocket and reread it.

_Greetings, Great Detective._

_Today, at one-fourth of the clock face, meet me where Christie's best detective lies._

_I will remove my mask just for you._

_(Kid doodle)_

With an annoyed sigh, Shinichi replaced the paper back in his pocket and started across the street. _Was it really necessary to be so needlessly roundabout?_

* * *

Kuroba Kaito tapped his fingers restlessly on the tabletop, earning himself a concerned look from the short-haired waitress standing behind the counter. He glanced over at her and smiled briefly, alleviating her worries, and resumed glaring at the tabletop. This was risky business, all right. Revealing himself to tantei-kun… He must be borderline insane.

A chime rang throughout the café, and Kaito peered up at the door dismissively, expecting to see another nondescript girl walk in. He found the exact opposite as all five-feet-nine-inches of pure attractiveness, also known as Kudou Shinichi, strolled in, pale porcelain cheeks painted pink from the cold and bright tanzanite eyes incandescent behind a jagged stretch of dark chocolate bangs. He carried himself with a kind of unique grace, his movements simultaneously smooth and natural. Even the wind seemed to admire him, trying to cling to his hair and coat for as long as possible.

The door whispered shut behind him, blocking out the wind effectively. The detective absently tugged his scarf off as he surveyed the café carefully, revealing the white, flawless expanse of his neck and collarbones.

For a second all Kaito could think was _daaaaaamn_.

And them he realized that Shinichi's gaze had latched onto him. The eyes narrowed just a tiny bit and their owner surged forward, bypassing the now stuttering waitress who had been waiting to seat him. He flashed her an apologetic smile as he started for Kaito's table.

The magician promptly forgot how to breathe.

He barely managed to inhale as Shinichi halted by his table, eyes serious and scarf hanging limply from his hand. Kaito marveled at how _azure _Shinichi's eyes were up close – he suddenly realized that he'd never been this close to tantei-kun. The real tantei-kun. The real Kudou Shinichi.

Ever.

"Kid?" Shinichi intoned softly, and Kaito finally gathered his wits again.

He fought the urge to swallow as his lips parted in a distinctly Kid smile. _This might've been a bad idea to ask him for this kind of thing, but…_

* * *

Kid smirked up at Shinichi, forcing Shinichi to bite back an irate growl. Something about the way Kid was always oozing self-confidence with that damn smile never failed to get under his skin.

It didn't help that the guy was kindofmaybe_really_ attractive, with his effortlessly styled hair and crystalline indigo eyes and okay, fine, the Kid smirk _was _a little… uh… flattering.

The magician hummed idly, tapping his fingers on the tabletop rhythmically. If he looked carefully, Shinichi could see tiny multicolored sparks jumping between the man's fingertips.

The detective sighed. Was it Kid's mission in life to be as flashy as possible?

The tapping stopped, and Kid extended the same hand with a slightly more subdued smile. "Glad to see you could make it today, tantei-kun. Kuroba Kaito at your service," he greeted, and Shinichi's eyebrows lifted. Yes, the note had said Kid would be unmasking himself, but Shinichi hadn't expected to get a _name _out of it.

Recovering quickly, Shinichi glanced at the outstretched hand skeptically before clasping it firmly. The hand was warm and oddly comforting, which only served to make Shinichi flinch and withdraw his hand hurriedly.

"So why _did _you call me out here today?" he asked as he sat down across from the unmasked phantom. He cleared his throat. "And why did you expose yourself to me, ah…" He paused, swallowing. "Kuroba-kun, was it?"

"Mmhm, that's right," Kaito confirmed, leaning forward with just a hint of a curve to his lips. "And the reason that I called you out here was because I need a favor from you."

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow. "A favor? Like what?"

Kaito winced and took a breath, raking a hand through his mussed hair. If Shinichi didn't know better, he'd think the man was getting a little flustered.

"You see… this might sound a bit odd, tantei-kun, but…" Kaito trailed off nervously – er, not nervously, because Kid didn't _get _nervous – and dropped his hand into his lap. His voice descended to a whisper. "I need you to teach me how to ice skate."

…_What._

It took approximately ten seconds for exactly what Kid's request was to sink in before Shinichi reacted.

"_What?!_" he yelled, garnering the attention of all the other customers and most of Poirot's staff as he rose to his feet and slammed his hands on the table in complete disbelief. "You need me to do _what_?!"

"Lower your voice," demanded Kaito, and was that a hint of red Shinichi saw in his cheeks? "People are staring."

Disgruntled, Shinichi barely managed an apologetic nod before sitting back down numbly. He could've taken Kid needing assistance facing a criminal syndicate, or wanting to kidnap him – hell, Shinichi probably would've even been fine with Kid asking to borrow his soccer ball-dispensing belt, but _teach him to ice skate?_

When Shinichi had regained some modicum of sanity, he fixed a still flushed Kaito with a disbelieving stare. "I'm sorry, but _why do you need me to teach you how to ice skate, again_?"

Kaito looked vaguely sullen. "I apologize that this is so hard to believe."

"N-No, it's not that, it's just…" Shinichi rubbed his forehead. "This is just kind of… surreal. I mean, you revealed your civilian identity to me, a detective who used to chase you… just so I could teach you how to ice skate." He spread his hands. "Isn't that a bit… I don't know, unnecessarily risky?"

The magician appeared to consider the idea. "If I asked anyone else in this way, I'd consider it risky, yes. But I trust you, to some extent, so I'm not too concerned."

"You trust me?"Shinichi gaped at him in surprise, confused… but just a little touched. It wasn't everyday his former rival confided that kind of thing, after all.

"To some extent," reiterated Kaito, shrugging indifferently. "I mean, we _have _known each other for nearly four years now, if we count the year you were Conan." He stopped. "But that's not the point right now. Are you willing to teach me how to ice skate?"

Inhaling hard, Shinichi deliberated, leaning forward as he mentally ran through the logistics. They would probably be okay if they went to a public ice skating rink. As long as they got there before the crowd, Shinichi could probably teach Kaito successfully and without interference… but wasn't this kind of strange? Why didn't Kaito just take public classes?

"Why does it have to be me?" he wondered aloud, and Kaito blinked.

"Well, the whole reason I need to learn how to ice skate is because I, Kuroba Kaito, can't. And Hakuba –"

"Hakuba… Saguru?" interjected Shinichi, halfway remembering someone by that name he'd met as Conan. "Isn't he that half-British detective?"

Nodding, Kaito continued, "Yes. He went to my high school, and he's always suspected that I'm Kid. He recently found out that I can't ice skate, so he's probably going to see if Kid can at my next heist. So I have to learn how to ice skate, otherwise he'll have more evidence to incriminate me as Kid. I can't take public classes because Hakuba could probably trace those, and I can't ask any of our mutual friends because again, it'd probably get back to him. So I need you, tantei-kun."

Shinichi didn't move. Someone, when Kaito focused those striking indigo eyes on him, mouth in a sincere, hopeful smile, and said those words – _I need you, tantei-kun_ – Shinichi found himself unable to turn him down.

"…I'll do it," he muttered resignedly, finding his lap very interesting all of a sudden.

"Really? How kind of you, tantei-kun," Kaito purred, sounding both smug and vastly relieved, and Shinichi wondered what exactly he'd just gotten himself into.

* * *

Shinichi stood shivering outside the Beika Ice Skating rink the following day, ignoring the quick glances he was receiving from the passersby. It had been decided that seeing someone who could recognize Kaito and somewhere get the information to Hakuba was less likely to happen if they met up in Beika, which was far from where Kaito lived in Ekoda.

…It was just flat-out _weird _to think that Shinichi now knew where the formerly faceless, nameless, and identity-less Kaitou Kid lived.

Inclining his head so his scarf covered his face, Shinichi breathed out, long and slow, as he rubbed his gloved hands up and down his upper arms. Weren't they supposed to meet at one? He sighed, sending a puff of wispy white vapor through the fabric of his scarf, feeling a little abandoned.

Drumming his hands against his sides, Shinichi watched as couples streamed past him, laughing and giggling and reminding Shinichi rather needlessly that it was nearing Christmastime. Love was certainly in the air, he thought absently as a girl, giggling madly, gripped her boyfriend's arm tightly. He was going to need to go Christmas shopping soon, huh…

A buzzing at his hip made him jump. Emerging from his stupor, Shinichi pulled his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket to find that none other than Mouri Ran was calling him.

A slight smile quirked his lips as he hit the accept button and pressed the phone against his cheek. "Hello?" he said, his voice cracking as he shivered.

"Shinichi?" Ran sounded concerned and somewhat miffed. "Where are you right now?"

"Huh? Oh… nowhere. Did you need something?" Shinichi blinked, stuffing his free hand into his coat pocket. A few girls walking down the sidewalk blushed as they passed him, and Shinichi offered a weak smile.

A slightly irate snort. "Well, I _thought _we were going to meet up for lunch, but I've been waiting here at Columbo for nearly an hour and you haven't shown up, so I have this feeling that you might've forgotten."

The detective felt his stomach drop. "Dammit. That was today?"

His girlfriend sighed. "Yes, that was today. Come on, Shinichi, don't we always meet on Saturdays or Sundays? You're usually busy with cases during the week."

"I guess that's true," Shinichi concurred. That was true, after all. The only time that both he and Kaito were free was Saturdays, because apparently Kaito gave small magic shows every other day of the week.

It was odd to think that the Kaitou Kid had to give _magic shows _to prove his prowess.

"Well, it's fine. I ran into Eisuke-kun earlier, so we ate together. He's in the bathroom right now." She paused. "I didn't know he was back in Japan."

"Really? Neither did I," Shinichi answered as he scanned the sidewalk for Kaito. He was starting to get nervous that he'd been stood up. Not that being stood up by Kid would bother him or anything. "He didn't call me or anything."

"He's really amazing now," Ran remarked. "He became a CIA agent and everything. It surprised me."

"Never would've thought he had it in him," Shinichi replied in amazement, and Ran laughed.

"Right?" She broke away for a second, and Shinichi heard her faraway voice addressing someone before she returned. "Well, he's coming back now. Don't forget our next date, okay?" Ran added softly.

Shinichi shut his eyes, imagining his girlfriend of two years sitting at a table in Columbo with a hand winding through her hair as she talked to him. Ran had always been there for him, even when he did stupid things like this… She'd always been so patient with him, missing dinners and dates for deaths and never seeming to be there for her. She was like a sister, a mother – every female figure he could think of, really.

Though somewhere along the line, he'd gotten so comfortable around her that maybe "sister" had overcome "girlfriend" just the slightest…

Shoving the thought roughly aside, Shinichi murmured, "Of course. I'm sorry. It won't happen again, Ran," and received a dubious chuckle in return before the line clicked off.

Opening his eyes, Shinichi was startled to find Kaito standing less than three feet away in front of him, wearing an unreadable smile and a navy scarf that managed to accentuate the bluer hue of his indigo eyes over the more violet tinge. It was a rather interesting effect, one that stuck Shinichi's feet to the ground and easily wiped Ran from his brain.

"Oh. Kuroba-san, thanks for finally joining me," Shinichi finally managed, hurriedly sliding his phone back into his pocket.

Kaito nodded. "Sorry for my lateness." He cracked a smile. "Hey, so you're going out with that Mouri girl?" he beamed in a somehow tonelessly bright voice. "Lucky man. She's quite a catch." Winking, he clapped Shinichi on the shoulder before breezing past him towards the rink entrance.

Eyebrows twitching – what was with _him_? – Shinichi spun on his heel and followed Kaito into the rink.

* * *

Pulling his scarf a little looser around his neck, Kaito sighed deeply as he sat by himself to the left of the shoe rental station, a few feet from the rental lockers and the entrance to the ice itself.

Shinichi was talking to the girl behind the skate counter, who was blushing rather vividly as Shinichi prattled on obliviously. Damn. Didn't he realize how stupidly charming he was?

Kaito wasn't sure why he was feeling so… dissatisfied. And why couldn't he get that image of Shinichi standing on the sidewalk with that peaceful smile on his face as he talked to Ran? He'd always found the detective to be rather enthralling – he was possibly the only one of his pursuing detectives who could actually give Kaito a run for his money, and his snarky humor and good looks weren't lost on Kaito either – but seeing him without his default smirk and his brow unwrinkled was positively fascinating. It made Kaito want to see if he himself could give Shinichi that comfortable, serene expression.

"Oi, Kuroba-san."

The magician jumped as Shinichi tapped him lightly on the head with a pair of ice skates that were dangling from his right hand.

"Oh. Tantei-kun," Kaito said on reflex, taking the proffered skates from him. He sighed as he looked at the worn white leather. He _really _hated ice skating. Or, more accurately, flailing, falling, and failing while trying to move across an ice rink.

Shinichi plopped down beside him, moving to take off his own shoes. As he pulled the lace, he pensively remarked, "You know, I don't think you should keep calling me tantei-kun as long as we're in public."

"Hmm?" Kaito paused as he tightened the laces on his left skate. "Do you not like nicknames?"

"No, that's not it," grumbled Shinichi as he wrenched on his own skate. "It's just, it might be a giveaway to everyone else. So just calling me by my name would probably be less odd."

"You mean call you 'Kudou-san' or something?" Kaito suggested jokingly as he picked up his shoes.

"I was thinking something like that, yes," Shinichi replied haughtily, rising after he finished tying his other lace. He cast a glance over his shoulder at Kaito as he bent down to grab his own shoes. "Problem, _Kuroba-san_?"

"…Of course not, _Kudou-san_," Kaito answered with equal condescension, squaring his shoulders bravely as he tried to follow Shinichi to their rented locker. He made it nearly ten feet before he tripped and went sprawling.

Shinichi turned around gracefully at the resulting boom, eyebrows flying up as he caught sight of Kaito lying prostrated on the ground.

"…Okay, this might be harder than I thought," Kaito heard the detective mutter before stalking over and hoisting him up, grabbing Kaito's shoes with one hand.

"Grab on to me," Shinichi demanded as he quickly shot the skate counter girl and the gawking bystanders a placating smile.

Kaito flinched inwardly before complying meekly, wrapping an arm uncertainly around the other's narrow waist and trying his hardest not to touch him more than absolutely necessary. Wasn't it kind of weird for two guys to do this kind of thing?

"I'm not going to break, and you're going to fall if you don't hold on tighter," Shinichi told him with a hint of impatience, rolling his eyes as he yanked Kaito's arm tighter around him.

"Apologies, tantei-k – I mean, Kudou-san. Just thought you wouldn't appreciate me groping you," Kaito said with much more bravado than he was feeling. Shinichi only snorted, though his lips curved up in a partially amused smirk.

Ten seconds later, Kaito nearly brought both of them down, and Shinichi barely caught both of them in time. He scowled and half-dragged Shinichi to their locker.

"For the love of all things good," he groused, setting down their shoes and pulling open the locker door before extracting a four-digit combination lock out of his coat pocket. "You really _are_ hopeless at ice skating, aren't you?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Kaito responded, subtly slackening his arm around Shinichi. (It was kind of awkward, dammit.) He watched with a slight smirk as Shinichi carefully spun the numbered bands on the lock to 4-8-6-9 and snapped it open. The guy never changed, huh?

Depositing their shoes into the space, Shinichi shut the locker and clamped the lock shut in its proper spot.

"Let's go on the ice now," he commanded, and Kaito allowed his arm to be readjusted around Shinichi's waist.

It was a good thing he had, because the second Kaito set foot on the ice, he slipped, nearly plowing through a group of children frolicking about.

"Whoa!" yelped Shinichi, scrabbling frantically to keep both himself and Kaito upright. Kaito attempted to cling to him and only succeeded to fall inelegantly onto his knees with his arms wrapped tightly around Shinichi's hips and his face buried in the detective's stomach.

The two of them froze for a second, Shinichi gawking down at Kaito and Kaito fighting back the heat that rushed to his cheeks, cursing his stupid goddamn inability to ice skate. Why did it have to come to this?!

He also had to fight back the realization that wow, Shinichi had _really _nice abs.

"Uh…" Shinichi coughed somewhere far above Kaito's head. "Let's, uh… could you…" He cleared his throat. "People are staring, Kuroba-san."

"I bet they are," muttered Kaito as he hurriedly removed himself from Shinichi's person, sitting back on his knees. He noted with slight surprise that Shinichi looked rather flushed.

Seeming a little out of sorts, Shinichi hesitated before he outstretched both hands to Kaito. He seemed to grit his teeth, the pink fading from his cheeks. "Grab my hands."

Quirking an eyebrow, Kaito reached out and gripped Shinichi's hands. With a smooth movement, the other man hauled Kaito to his feet slowly, allowing him to try to retain some semblance of balance.

Once that had been achieved rather precariously, Shinichi began ever so gradually skating backwards, holding Kaito's hands tightly. Kaito stiffened, permitting himself to be pulled along. His knees seemed to rotate in and out, spinning his skates in wayward directions, and he clenched his jaw in irritation.

Lifting his head, Kaito was about to complain to his instructor when he spotted the concentrated lean of Shinichi's mouth, took in the steady slant of his eyebrows as he observed Kaito carefully. His eyes sparkled bright azure underneath his eyelashes, and Kaito was momentarily sidetracked. The curve of his jawline, the way his hair fell in short triangles across his forehead… honestly, the man was _beautiful._

"Hey, you're not swiveling," Shinichi suddenly commented, glancing up at Kaito with a half-grin on his face.

"Hm?" Kaito peered down to find that Shinichi was actually right – in his moment of distraction, he had begun to actually skate straight.

"Hey, you're not actually as bad as I thought," smirked Shinichi, tilting his head to one side in pleasant surprise. "Think I can drop your hands?"

"Mm, I don't know, sensei," Kaito shrugged. Shinichi rolled his eyes and dropped his hands, skating back a few steps.

Kaito then proceeded take one step forward, trip backwards, and land rather painfully on his back, barely managing to raise his head before it smacked against the ice.

With a sigh, Shinichi skated over and halted by Kaito's side, examining the groaning magician for any external wounds.

"…Okay, maybe you _are_ as bad as I thought."

* * *

"You're ten minutes late."

Slowing to a walk for the last five steps towards where the phantom thief stood waiting by the ice skating rink, Shinichi frowned as he panted, glaring at Kaito's accusation. "Shut up. The first time you were nearly half an hour late, you know," he breathed out, his breath creating white clouds before him.

The indigo-eyed man lifted and dropped his shoulders fluidly, an easy smile on his lips as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "Yes, but I hold you to a higher standard as you're on the 'right' side of the law."

The detective blinked at him. "What is _that _supposed to mean? How does having higher morals compare to being late?" Shinichi heaved a breath. "Anyway, Ran was harassing me. I couldn't leave her place in time. That's all." He avoided Kaito's gaze, hoping he didn't realize Ran had been rather upset with him for not paying enough attention to her lately. Shinichi couldn't help it; he was trying to help the Kaitou Kid learn how to ice skate, after all.

Unfortunately, the Kaitou Kid was much more perceptive than Shinichi hoped for. "I see," came the light response, "she's not happy with you, is she?" A pause. "Is it because of me?"

Shinichi shrugged. "I don't know, is it?" he evaded, starting for the entrance to the rink. "Get yourself a girl, Kuroba, and maybe you'll understand."

(After two more semi-disastrous lessons, both of them had dropped all pretense of being polite, opting to call each other by family name without honorifics. Occasionally, when Kaito was trying to be as annoying as possible, he addressed Shinichi as "Shin-chan," or "sensei," but other than that, Shinichi was "Kudou" and Kaito was "Kuroba.")

Kaito hummed thoughtfully as he followed Shinichi into the now familiar facility. "Hm, I don't know. A girl's too high maintenance for me."

_What's that supposed to mean? _"What, are you suggesting that a guy would be a better option?" Shinichi wondered sardonically as they headed for the shoe rental desk.

The thief gave a short chuckle, too short to be dissected for meaning. "Well…" His eyes flashed with something strange, something a bit like evasiveness or maybe… maybe… hesitation?

Deciding that he should probably stop overthinking Kaito's ambiguous remarks, Shinichi only gave him an egotistical little smile and marched to the rental counter. Yui, the girl who worked there and seemed to expect Shinichi every Saturday now, smiled at him as he approached, her face visibly brightening.

"Shinichi-kun!" she cheered, reaching underneath the counter to pull out two pairs of ice skates. "You and Kaito-kun are going skating again today, aren't you?"

"Yep," Shinichi nodded, trading a few thousand yen and a grin for the skates. "Hopefully today he won't fall quite as much."

Yui nodded, eyes wide and musing. "He has been improving though, hasn't he? Last week he only fell five times instead of the usual twelve!"

"I guess that's true. Thanks, Yui-chan," Shinichi added as he turned and began to move towards where Kaito was waiting patiently.

"See you later, Shinichi-kun!" she called, receiving a quick, over-the-shoulder smile in return.

Having watched this whole exchange, Kaito raised his eyebrows in what appeared to be amusement. "Yui-chan seems to be infatuated with you, doesn't she, Kudou?"

"Shut up, Kuroba. She's, what, fifteen? Maybe sixteen, tops?" Shinichi shuddered as he passed Kaito his skates. "And anyway, as you know, I've got a girlfriend."

"Sure, sure," Kaito waved him off dismissively as he finished tying up his ice skates, and Shinichi shot him an irate glance.

Managing to stand a bit unsteadily, Kaito stumbled over to their now established rental locker, and Shinichi silently admired his progress. Sure, it had taken three lessons over three weeks, but Kaito had seriously improved. He could walk in skates without falling now, and the number of times he fell on the ice had decreased significantly.

Shinichi walked over a few seconds later, dropping his shoes into the locker before Kaito shut it. "Well? Shall we?" Shinichi suggested, and Kaito smiled.

"Of course, sensei," snickered Kaito, blatantly ignoring the venomous expression Shinichi instantly acquired as he trailed after him.

The detective transitioned easily onto the ice, spinning on the tip of one skate to watch as Kaito stepped on, gliding a few feet before he peered at Shinichi expectantly.

"Well, you've certainly got the basics," Shinichi commented approvingly, skating backwards as Kaito advanced on him.

"Why, thank you, my darling tantei-kun," Kaito grinned, and Shinichi had to gulp down a surprised sound at how he felt his stomach turning over nervously at the distinct Kid in Kaito's smile, the mischievous flicker in those crystalline indigo eyes…

Pressing on an undaunted smile, Shinichi answered in a seductive whisper, "You're welcome, my darling kaitou-chan," and was relieved to see that Kaito's smirk lost a little of its edge as he went slightly pink.

In an attempt to forget how downright _adorable _Kaito looked blushing – and why was he even thinking about _that_ when he had a girlfriend?! – Shinichi cleared his throat and checked Kaito's form, eyes raking over the toned body. Hmm… It was fairly decent for a beginner, but he was inclined a little too forward…

Sighing in relief that he could direct them back towards something related to ice skating, Shinichi moved over to skate by Kaito's side, sensing Kaito's breath hitch as Shinichi closed in on him.

"Uh, is there something wrong?" Kaito hesitantly questioned, trying to lean away from Shinichi and nearly falling as a result.

Catching the other around the waist with now-improved reflexes, Shinichi tugged him upright. "You're leaning a little too far forward, that's all. I can understand why, because that's how everyone starts, but since you've gotten better, you should straighten up a bit more. Otherwise you have a higher chance of falling from being unbalanced," Shinichi told him, wincing as his lips brushed against Kaito's ear. He removed his arm from around him and moved a little back, nodding reassuringly at the magician.

Kaito made a noise of something Shinichi hoped was comprehension, and attempted to lift his torso upwards.

Well… it was an improvement, but still…

"Here." Shinichi swept back in, lightly settling a palm on the small of Kaito's back. "Try to straighten up from here."

The magician froze, grinding to a stop. "Uh…"

"Just do as I say," Shinichi ordered, not unkindly though. He tapped his fingers against Kaito, and Kaito jerkily began skating again, lifting up.

"That's better," said Shinichi gratefully – he was starting to feel a little weird about this whole thing. He moved his hand off of Kaito, who sagged forward in… relief?

Well, whatever the reason, he was leaning too far again.

With a slight frown, Shinichi prodded Kaito's elbow. "You went forward again," he informed him, somewhat accusingly.

"Can't you just let me have bad form?" Kaito implored.

"I would be a terrible teacher if I let you do that," snapped Shinichi, slowing so Kaito passed him and maneuvering so he was skating directly behind Kaito.

Kaito tried to look over his shoulder but failed when Shinichi poked his cheek and turned his head back around. "What are you doing, Kudou?"

Shinichi swallowed dryly, electing not to answer.

_Oh God, this was going to be so awkward. _

"Don't flip out now," he murmured, and Kaito adopted an air of alarm as Shinichi ever-so-gently reached out and held Kaito's hips.

A jolt of surprise sent Kaito skidding a few inches, and Shinichi tightened his hold. His fingers climbed a little higher – Kaito made a strange choking sound – and pulled Kaito upwards, his back almost touching Shinichi's chest.

"Skate like this," Shinichi told him, feeling his face heat up. Why did he feel so goddamn embarrassed right now? When he'd taught Ran how to ice skate all those years ago, employing these same tactics, it hadn't been _this _monumentally awkward, and _she _was a girl.

"Uh… okay," Kaito coughed, and Shinichi was only too glad to depart, returning to his position skating backwards in front of Kaito.

The thief averted his gaze hastily, bangs dropping to cover his face, and Shinichi cleared his throat.

"So, uh, good job. Your form is much better now."

"…Thanks."

* * *

"You know, Kuroba," Shinichi began as the two of them started out of the ice skating rink, "I was thinking… Maybe we should go buy you ice skates?"

Kaito blinked. "You think?"

"Yes, I think," retorted the detective, rolling his eyes as Kaito smirked. "Unlike criminals who aimlessly steal jewels, we detectives have to think in order to complete deductions."

Gasping melodramatically, Kaito pressed a hand to his heart. "You wound me, tantei-kun. As if my heists were aimless." Shinichi smirked at that.

Truthfully, though, Kaito had found Pandora a few years ago… but he'd continued on his father's legacy, because why not? Heists were fun, and he liked seeing his detectives.

…Technically he only liked seeing Shinichi, as Hakuba was a worthless bastard (Aoko starting to date him didn't and probably would never change Kaito's opinion of the half-English detective) and Inspector Nakamori was a bumbling detective on the best of days and didn't pose much of a challenge.

"Anyway, Kuroba, I think you should get ice skates. You're going to need them if Hakuba-kun ever does have a heist at an ice skating rink, seeing as you probably shouldn't rent some on that day. It'll just be another clue to your identity," explained Shinichi. "And we might as well get them together." He shrugged.

Kaito was about to protest when his mind flashed back to Yui, the rental counter girl. Hm… if they didn't have to rent shoes, then Yui wouldn't keep flirting with Shinichi…

…Wait, what exactly was he thinking? Why did some girl's juvenile crush even _matter_? Sure, Kaito thought that she was a little bit persistent, and he didn't really enjoy watching Shinichi smile at her all unwittingly, but…

Okay, yes, he was a little jealous of Yui. So what. That was fine, that was normal.

Er… as "fine" and "normal" as feeling possessive over one's rival could be considered.

"Uh, Kuroba, are you still listening?" The sound of Shinichi's semi-concerned voice jarred Kaito out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Yes, I'm listening. Let's go get them, then," Kaito agreed with a very large smile, and Shinichi, who was staring at him with an eyebrow quirked, nodded ever so slowly.

"…I guess I just won't ask," he finally muttered before he pushed open the door.

"Probably better for your sanity," Kaito chirped as he followed Shinichi out onto the sidewalk.

_And for my own, probably._

* * *

Half an hour later, Kaito sat perched amongst rows and rows of shoes, watching as Shinichi spoke with one of the clerks, motioning over at Kaito every now and again. They'd arrived at the store a couple minutes ago, whereupon Shinichi had told Kaito to "sit and wait" at a random bench, discarded his coat and scarf beside him, and darted off, presumably to talk to someone about their shoe sizes.

Kaito leaned back, bracing his hands on the edge of the bench as he swung his legs lazily. Now was as good a time as any to puzzle over the mystery of Kudou Shinichi. He grit his teeth, holding back a blush, at the memory of Shinichi's hands on his hips. He crossed his arms over his stomach. Why did he feel so embarrassed remembering it? He doubted Shinichi had meant anything… _weird _by it – the guy had a girlfriend and all – but it was just…

Oh God, Kaito was turning into _such _a girl. What next? Was he going to confess his undying love for the detective?

His stomach turned over at the thought, though more out of anxiety than disgust. Actually, Kaito was rather shockingly _not _disgusted.

At all.

In fact, the idea seemed just a tiny bit… appealing.

Okay, no, this was completely ridiculous. Something was wrong with him today. Because there was obviously no way that Kaito was in love with Shinichi, of all people.

Right.

So why did he feel like he was trying to convince himself?

…

Maybe because he was?

…

No way. That was it, wasn't it? He was in love with Kudou Shinichi.

Being jealous, being embarrassed by his touch, being distracted by his good looks… it made sense this way, didn't it?

Well, that was it. Kaito needed either a therapist or a lobotomy, because he _was in love with his straight, taken rival._

Kaito resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearest brick wall.

Suddenly, he heard a low buzzing sound. Blinking out of his trance, Kaito glanced around to find that that there was a vibrating lump in Shinichi's coat pocket.

Should he answer it?

Hesitating, Kaito scanned the store, seeing Shinichi browsing the aisles with the attendant by his side nearly ten rows away. By the time Kaito brought it over to him, it would probably have already gone to voicemail.

…Well, it couldn't hurt. Probably. Maybe.

Digging around in Shinichi's coat, Kaito emerged with the detective's phone in hand. The caller ID read Mouri Ran, and Kaito wavered once more before flipping it open and putting it to his ear.

"Yo, Ran," he greeted, his voice a flawless replica of Shinichi's.

"Shinichi?" came the soft voice, perfectly feminine and just bold enough to not be off-putting, and Kaito bit his lip. There was that unsettling jealousy welling up out of nowhere. And Kaito felt like a complete bastard for disliking Shinichi's girlfriend, too. She was such a sweet, nice, innocent girl. The kind that suited Shinichi perfectly.

…And he'd managed to depress himself even further. Fantastic.

"Mm," Kaito hummed, resting his head on his hand. "What's up?"

"I'm just… I'm sorry about earlier, when I went off on you for going out again," Ran apologized. "I mean, it's been hard on me to not be able to meet up with you every Saturday because you're off doing something. I'm sorry I accused you of cheating on me, though. That's no excuse. But when you tell me that you're busy every Saturday afternoon, I have to wonder what's going on, right?"

"I guess so…" Kaito stammered, trying his best to understand what was going on. "But I'm not cheating on you, I swear."

_Is it sad that I almost wish he was?_

Ran sighed heavily. "I know you aren't, Shinichi – you'd never do something like that. But you know, lately…" She seemed to bite her lip. "Faraway, you know? Like I can't get through to you anymore." A deep breath. "I've been talking to Eisuke-kun about this, and he's been telling me to keep holding on, but it's starting to get so hard when you're almost never around. We used to spend Saturdays together because they were your days off, but now…"

"I'm… sorry about that," Kaito answered slowly, not sure how Shinichi would respond to this kind of confrontation. "It's…"

"I know it's not your fault, Shinichi. It's just… sometimes I think we're not in love anymore, you know? Like we've both moved on." She paused. "You know… It's fine if you've fallen for whoever you keep meeting."

Kaito nearly dropped the phone. "What?"

"Oh no," Ran continued, "I don't mean it's okay if you're cheating on me because obviously that's not. It's more like… if you've been hanging out with someone, and you've fallen for them… I just want you to know that I support you all the way, okay?"

"Uh… wow, thank you, Ran," Kaito stuttered, staring into his lap uncomfortably. He glanced back up to see Shinichi selecting two boxes before waving off the assistant and starting back towards Kaito. "I… same to you. It means a lot to me. But I have to go right now…"

"Of course. Thanks, Shinichi," responded Ran, sounding sincere and consoled. "See you around."

"See you."

Kaito barely managed to shove Shinichi's phone back into his coat pocket before the detective was within eyeshot. He tried to look innocent, though his heart was thumping at the back of his throat. Damn. The realization that he was in love with Shinichi only made him _more _conscious of him.

Shinichi slanted his head perplexedly at him, extending a box towards him. "Here are the ones that I thought might fit you."

"Thanks," Kaito managed, fumbling to open the box.

As he sat down beside Kaito, painfully close – why was the bench so small?! – Shinichi angled him a look. "You okay?" he asked, sounding concerned, as he toed off his shoes.

"Mmhm. Of course. I'm fine." Kaito swore mentally as he dropped the box, contradicting his words.

Having already pulled on his skates, Shinichi's expression of bewilderment only heightened. "Are you sure? I've never seen you as… out of sorts as this. What happened?"

"It's nothing," Kaito grunted, briskly picking up the box and mechanically pulling off his shoes. "There's… no, I'm okay."

"You don't _look _okay." Before Kaito could react, there was a slender hand on his forehead and Shinichi frowning contemplatively. "You haven't picked up a fever in the last thirty minutes. Although…" He paused, mouth twitching. "Your face is a bit red."

_Of course it is! You're standing a foot away from me with your hand on my face!_

Batting Shinichi's hand aside, Kaito forced a smile. "I'm fine." He began to tug on the ice skates, but his hands, nervous from Shinichi's proximity, didn't comply, choosing to drop them instead.

"You… I have no idea what's wrong with you right now," Shinichi sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "The great Kaitou Kid acting all flustered. Here." He stretched out a hand, receiving a blank stare in return.

"Is there something you want?"

"Give me your skate."

Unsure of what he should be expecting, Kaito tentatively passed one of the skates to the detective.

With a sarcastic "thanks," Shinichi calmly kneeled in front of Kaito and worked the skate onto Kaito's foot.

All Kaito could manage was an "eep."

Casting a _what's wrong _look up at Kaito, Shinichi scooted forward to tie the skate, eyebrows sloping downwards in concentration.

Kaito was more concerned with the fact that, oh, you know, Shinichi was _very, very _close to being between his legs. And he was kneeling. And Kaito had just kind of realized that he was in love with the man.

Lady Luck either despised Kaito or adored him.

"There." Shinichi sat back with satisfaction, completely missing the look on Kaito's face as he gave an oblivious half-smile. "Next skate?"

Kaito could only hand it to him hopelessly.

* * *

Shinichi's expression was nothing sort of downright pathetic as he strode to where Kaito was sitting at their usual spot by the rental lockers. He hitched the bag containing his new skates up higher on his shoulder, a gloomy exhale threatening to spill out from between his lips.

The magician stood, a frown creasing his eyebrows. Blatant confusion was evident in his indigo eyes – in the apprehensive tilt of his shoulders, even – as he intercepted Shinichi. "What's wrong, Kudou?" he queried in an undertone, grabbing Shinichi's arm. "You look like hell."

The detective lifted empty azure eyes to meet the darkened indigo ones before him. "Oh, Kuroba," he greeted, a listless little twist to his lips. "Hi. Sorry I'm late."

"That's right, you're nearly an hour late." Kaito didn't release his arm. "What's wrong?"

"You're not mad?" Shinichi chuckled, a low, mirthless sound even to his own ears. "Seems like everyone's mad at me these days."

"Kudou… What's wrong?" Kaito reiterated, and Shinichi was almost startled by the amount of worry in his voice. As if he really cared if Shinichi was depressed or in shock or whatever.

Wouldn't that be nice, though? For Kid, his long-term rival to care about him.

That would be nice. Really nice.

Perfect, maybe.

Shaking off the heavy feeling, Shinichi drew in a long breath and forced a slightly more believable smile. "It's nothing, really. Just some personal stuff." He tried to free his arm from Kaito's grasp, but to no avail, as the thief's frown only intensified.

"It's clearly not _nothing_," he persisted, mouth twisting towards seriously. "I've never seen you like this. Ever."

"Well, there are a lot of things about me that you don't see," retorted Shinichi, though he couldn't summon enough venom to make his tone truly effective. That, and the fact that his voice broke on "don't see."

Kaito seemed to recoil. "I… yes, I suppose that's true," he murmured, almost as if to himself, looking down. "There are a lot of things I don't know about you, tantei-kun."

_Tantei-kun? _"Don't you _dare_ go back to nicknames, Kuroba," demanded Shinichi fiercely, showing the first sign of real emotion that day. "I can't stand to lose…" He tapered off, all pretense of anger crumbling as he pressed a hand to his face.

Temporarily surprised, Kaito's lips creased into a tiny smile. "Yes, of course, Kudou." His eyes softened into whirlpools of soft indigo. Tugging gently on Shinichi's arm, he led him to their usual place and sat him down soothingly. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong." He seated himself beside Shinichi, leaning forward to watch his face.

The words caught in Shinichi's throat for a second, but the consoling, tranquil softness of Kaito's expression unglued them, propelling them out of his mouth in a quick jumble.

"Ran broke up with me."

The magician sat blinking for a second, lips parted. "I… see."

"Yes, I bet you do," Shinichi smirked weakly. "She said she's fallen for Hondou." He blew out a long breath.

"And how are you feeling?" Kaito's words were carefully chosen, almost nervously delivered.

Shinichi snorted. "How does it look?" He rubbed his left eye, feeling jaded and exhausted. "I mean… it's just like… Ran's been a part of my life since _forever_. I just – I just can't imagine her with someone else. Well, I mean, I _can_, but it's just… she's…" Realizing that his thoughts weren't coming out in proper sentence form anymore, Shinichi just groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I've known that we haven't really been, I don't know, _in love _or anything, but it's… I didn't expect that we'd just _end_."

He stiffened when he felt a hand ghost across his shoulders, lifting his face to peer inquisitively at Kaito.

The man wore a smile – not one edged with mischief and molded for use by a phantom thief – but one specially crafted, softer than the sky, warmer than candlelight… one that was specifically made for Shinichi, one that only Shinichi would ever see. The sweep of the bangs, the tilt of the eyebrows, the indigo eyes…

_Beautiful._

"You're going to be okay, Kudou," Kaito said, and Shinichi couldn't help but believe him.

With a hard exhale, he straightened up, squaring his shoulders. "Of course I am, damn thief," Shinichi replied, a bit of his old self returning, and both of them silently acknowledged the unspoken exchange as they changed into their ice skates.

_Thank you._

_You're welcome._

* * *

Kaito bit his lip, rereading the text splashed across the screen of his cell phone. "This _does _say to come here at ten thirty at _night_, doesn't it?"

He stood on the sidewalk, facing the darkened ice skating rink, with a mixture of perplexity and curiosity swirling through his stomach. Earlier that day, Kaito had received a text from Shinichi, telling him that today's lesson was scheduled for ten thirty at night, much to the magician's bafflement.

So Kaito had braved the icy December night to arrive at the rink, only to find that it was completely dark and closed. Upon closer inspection, it seemed the facility closed at ten.

"Ugh, that tantei-kun," growled Kaito under his breath, turning to stomp off in an enraged huff. "What the hell is his problem, calling me all the way out here at ten thirty at night?"

"Oi, Kuroba!"

Jarring to a complete stop, Kaito spun around to see Shinichi standing at the entrance, waving. Even from this distance, Kaito could see his slim, pretty outline, leaned up against the doorframe, and he had to force his heart rate back down. In the two weeks following his understanding that his feelings for Shinichi weren't exactly platonic, Kaito had somewhat managed to keep the symptoms from showing.

Although sometimes… er… _urges _came through, as exemplified from last week. Kaito still flushed thinking about the way he'd comforted Shinichi. He sincerely hoped that Shinichi hadn't thought too much of the overjoyed smile Kaito had given him.

Because while yes, it was terrible that Shinichi and Ran had broken up, it was also good for Kaito, wasn't it? Now he didn't have to feel so damn guilty for falling for Shinichi, a taken man.

(…Although now he felt guilty for being happy that they'd broken up when Shinichi had been so torn up over it. Really, it was a no-win situation.)

"Kudou?" Kaito squawked in confusion, tilting his head. "You're actually here? I thought you were screwing with me with that text or something." He jogged over, reaching Shinichi within a few seconds. "Why are we meeting this late? Isn't the rink closed?"

"Exactly," Shinichi beamed, quite obviously proud of himself. "I worked out a deal with the owner. You know how you've improved to the point that you need more space to practice?"

Recalling the last time they'd met – after getting Shinichi out of his depression, they had discovered that Kaito had improved to the point that the other couples on the ice were a bother – Kaito hesitantly answered, "Uh, yes, but how is that…?"

"Well, since it's after hours, we have the whole rink to ourselves," Shinichi grinned, and Kaito nodded comprehendingly.

"I'm impressed, Kudou-meitantei," he smirked, and Shinichi laughed, holding the door open for him.

"After you, my dear," he sang, dropping into a low bow.

Kaito was extremely glad that he had learned to calm his erratic heartbeat to some extent, because when Shinichi did things like this, it made it really hard for Kaito to breathe.

"Why, thank you." Kaito was ten steps into the rink when the realization hit that this would be the first time he was alone with Shinichi. Every other time there had been other ice skaters, Kid task force members, store attendants… but this time, it was just Kid and Kudou.

Kaito and Shinichi.

He swallowed hard.

This could certainly get... interesting.

* * *

"So? What do you think?" Shinichi threw his arms out wide, skating in an easy, curvy line across the vast, empty white ice. He twirled experimentally, nearly falling but managing to catch himself by pinwheeling his arms wildly.

Kaito, who was cautiously moving towards the center of the ice, smirked in amusement. "So even _you _fall sometimes, don't you?"

"You should know by now that I do," laughed Shinichi, trying again and this time succeeding smoothly. "You've seen me at my absolute worst."

A few feet to his right, Kaito went rigid, shuddering to a stop. "You mean… last week?"

"Mm." Shinichi shrugged, rearranging his scarf around his neck. "That, I suppose. But you've seen me as a kid, at your heists, losing my cool over stupid things… That's almost worse than seeing me in a post-breakup haze."

"What?" Indigo eyes were suddenly trained hard on Shinichi. "What do you mean by that?"

Startled by his sudden intensity, Shinichi bit his lip, faltering a little under that gaze before responding. "Well… I mean… you know. At heists, I tend to flip out and lose it over pointless things. Little things that shouldn't mean anything in the long run, you know?" He paused. "You're the only one who can do that to me, you know. Make me all hotheaded and stupidly impulsive."

The silence was heavy around Shinichi's confession, and Shinichi tried to diffuse it. "Let's get practicing," he redirected, skating over to where Kaito was still standing, watching Shinichi with some kind of unreadable emotion written all over his face.

"Oh. Right," the magician stuttered, grazing the ice with the tip of his skate as he began to skate again.

Shinichi moved in an arc until he was in front of Kaito, in the familiar position where Shinichi was skating backwards and they were facing each other. He was suddenly quite aware that they were only a foot apart at most.

His mouth went dry, his pulse thundering in his throat.

Before he could stop himself, Shinichi reached out and placed his hands on Kaito's hips, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the startled thief.

"Straighten up," Shinichi told him softly, and Kaito stared back at him with luminous indigo eyes, eyes that were slowly darkening with some sort of feeling. A feeling that could almost pass as… desire?

And suddenly there were lips over Shinichi's, warm and soft and sweet. While Shinichi was understandably shocked, he didn't fight it, choosing instead to melt forward and hold tighter and delve deeper, deeper into Kaito, _perfect _–

The contact somehow lasted forever and no time at all, and at the exact second Shinichi was aware that he was breathing air once more, Kaito was out of reach, flushed and horrified at his own actions.

"I – you – it's – Sorry, tantei-kun," he stammered, his voice shattering into a choked whisper by the last syllable. He turned and nearly flew off the ice.

Shinichi heard the front door slam shut and vaguely wondered if Kaito had bothered to change his shoes before leaving.

He didn't miss how they'd regressed back to nicknames.

* * *

_Four days._

It had been _four days _since what Kaito had christened his "big spectacular failure why am I such a goddamn _idiot_," and neither he nor Shinichi had tried to contact the other.

Well, Kaito couldn't really blame the guy. After being randomly kissed by some other guy he probably considered a friend, who would want to instigate a conversation?

Thus, Kaito had been in mourning. He hadn't left the house, even, cancelling his magic shows. Aoko had taken to showing up daily, bringing food and attempts at comfort.

Right now, Aoko was in the middle of her morning visit for the day. "Kaito, you're being unreasonable," she complained as she puttered about in the kitchen, preparing some kind of breakfast.

Kaito, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his cheek pressed flat against it, only grumbled a dull, "Sure, Aoko," in response.

Nearly breaking a plate as she set it down sharply on the counter, Aoko scowled, opening a bag of bread. "Come on, Kaito. You're clearly not yourself. Why can't you tell me what happened, anyway?"

"I kissed someone I shouldn't have kissed," stated Kaito monotonously, though there was a slight tint of irritation creeping in. "I told you that the first day."

"Yes, but for you to be _this _depressed… it isn't normal," Aoko scoffed, placing a slice of bread on the plate beside the omelet she'd made. Carrying the plate to the table, she slid it to Kaito. "Whenever you're ready to tell me, I'll be waiting." She glanced at the clock before adding, "But not now. I'm going to go meet Hakuba-kun."

One eyebrow lifting in detached confusion, Kaito checked the time himself. "You're meeting him at seven in the morning?"

"Of course," Aoko answered as if it was completely obvious. She untied her apron and hung in by the refrigerator. "It's Christmas, Kaito. We're going to spend the day together."

"Oh." Christmas. Kaito had totally forgotten about the holiday. Which made sense, considering it was one of the most romantic holidays of the year, and he didn't _want _to think of anything related to romance at this point in his life.

He sat up and dragged the plate closer, managing a faint, appreciative grin for his childhood friend. "Have fun."

"I will," Aoko smiled, gently ruffling Kaito's hair. "Look, take care of yourself, okay? Merry Christmas, Kaito." She started for the door. Kaito heard her putting on her shoes and slipping into her coat.

"You too. Merry Christmas," he called as the front door rasped open, receiving a faraway "Thanks" before the door shut again.

Kaito sighed, fixing his eyes blankly on the breakfast in front of him. When was he going to get over this stupid event? Sure, he wouldn't have any contact with Shinichi outside of heists, if the detective even decided to keep going to heists. It would be fine. Kaito would be fine. It wasn't like he'd just ruined a relationship that had taken four years and forever to cultivate into something resembling friendship with a senseless impulse.

…There he went depressing himself even more.

The thief wasn't sure how long he sat staring at his plate when he was startled by the sound of the doorbell. He rose, his brow acquiring a vaguely bemused wrinkle. _Did Aoko forget something?_

Trotting over to the door, Kaito opened it. "Aoko –" His voice caught in his throat at the sight of a very-much-not-Aoko Shinichi standing uncomfortably on his doorstep. The man was wearing a coat and scarf and holding a bag over one shoulder, his hair just a little tousled from the wind, with a touch of pink on his cheeks due to the cold. And his _eyes _– oh, how Kaito had missed those eyes…

It made Kaito want to cry at how unattainable he was.

"…Kudou," Kaito revised after a veeeery long pause, barely managing to reconstruct a smile. "How… niceto see you."

"Kaito. Hi," Shinichi said, and Kaito's eyebrows shot up. _Kaito? _When had they gone to first names? What was going on? Why was he _here_?

"You seem surprised to see me," remarked Shinichi, calm and collected as ever. "Did you get my text?"

"Uh… no?" Kaito swallowed. "I'm not sure my phone is charged, actually."

"How careless," Shinichi reprimanded, though fondly, almost. "Are you going to invite this poor detective in, kaitou-chan?"

Okay, so Shinichi was going to pretend nothing had happened. Sure, Kaito could do that.

Maybe.

"I don't see anyone poor on my doorstep, so no," Kaito replied, smirking.

Shinichi shook his head, breath puffing out in a white cloud. "As you seem to not care for my wellbeing –" (_Oh the irony_, Kaito thought) "– I suppose I'll have to invite myself in."

"Be my guest." Kaito yanked the door open wider, and Shinichi entered, tugging off his scarf and shoes. He didn't set down his bag, though.

"Nice house," Shinichi commented approvingly, receiving a nod of thanks from Kaito.

"Is the living room okay?" the magician asked with a smirk that almost, _almost _replicated his old one.

"Of course." With a smile that made Kaito flinch at its brilliance, Shinichi followed Kaito into the living room, sitting down almost regally on the lone couch.

Shifting uncomfortably from his position a few feet away, Kaito offered, "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Mm… I'm fine, thanks." Shinichi tilted his head curiously. "You know, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. You can sit down next to me."

"Um… okay," Kaito hesitated, seating himself gingerly beside the detective.

"I assume you know why I'm here," Shinichi said after a few seconds.

"…No, actually, I don't," Kaito disagreed honestly, lifting his shoulders helplessly. "Really, I didn't think I'd ever see you again." _You know, after what happened…_

"As if," snorted Shinichi, rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you were thinking last time, though. Doing that kind of thing…"

Kaito was pretty sure his heart was literally breaking. His lap was suddenly very interesting. "Oh. I'm sorry for… that."

"You better be," Shinichi continued, sounding vaguely miffed. "_Finally _making a move and then running off… that's pretty stupid of you, damn thief."

…What?

"Excuse me, did you just say _finally_?" Kaito spluttered, now just plain mystified. "What do you _mean _by that?"

Shinichi regarded him with those deliciously azure eyes. "What I _mean _is you finally made a move. What else?" He shook his head slowly, almost frustrated. "Damn it, Kaito, you can't just kiss me like you did and not explain yourself. Or let it go farther, even."

Kaito was pretty sure he'd just had a heart attack. "Wait, _what_?!"

"Have the past four days ruined your intellect? Think a little." Shinichi waved his hand vaguely, seemingly ignorant of the way Kaito's face was heating up. "It _did _take me these past days to deduce what to do next, but I did figure it out eventually."

"What… uh…" Kaito coughed, clearing his throat. "What, exactly, is 'it'?"

"Your Christmas present, of course," was the prompt response.

"…How the hell did we get from us kissing to Christmas presents?"

With a slight smile, Shinichi turned, rearranging himself so he and Kaito were face-to-face. "Because this is your Christmas present," he whispered, the words somehow simultaneously alluring and plain, and Kaito was paralyzed as the detective's eyes darkened just a shade and his lips parted –

"I love you," Shinichi said, composed and serene and everything that Shinichi was, before he pressed forward, his lips soft against Kaito's.

The first time they'd kissed, it had been longing, a little lustful, even, but this… this was warm and mild and innocent, something that felt like it would melt if left in the sun yet was somehow felt strong, unbreakable, permanent…

Then it was over, and Kaito was lost in Shinichi's eyes, Shinichi's breath against his lips, Shinichi's smile, just… Shinichi.

Kaito felt himself grin back, chest suddenly light. "Thank you, Shinichi," he thanked, Shinichi's name sliding out from between his lips effortlessly. "I love it. And you."

"Of course," Shinichi smirked, and Kaito could almost laugh in relief. The feeling in his chest only expanded, spreading, and Kaito recognized it as the feeling Shinichi gave him.

As Kaito stared into Shinichi's all too perfect face, his eyes moved over to the bag beside him. "Hm? What's that?" he inquired interestedly.

"Oh, this?" Shinichi reached over and unzipped it to reveal his ice skates. "I thought we could go ice skating together."

Kaito smiled, slipping easily onto Shinichi's lap. "I'd love to."

* * *

**Sappy ending is sappy. Yeah.**

**I was watching DC episode 172-173 ("The Revival of the Dying Message") and noticed that bit where Sonoko is teasing Ran about Shinichi teaching her how to ice skate. Which then reminded me of how I read somewhere that Kaito can't ice skate.**

**AND THIS WAS BORN WHOOOOO**

***cough***

**This was literally written on a diet of Pocky and chai tea. Which explains its shittiness to some degree.**

**By the end I was just like "KILL ME PLEASE." I think deadlines are the worst thing ever invented. I have new respect for the Sekaiichi Hatsukoi boys who deal with mangakas/writers/etc. because akdjfoaiefjsd DEADLINES NUUUUUUU.**

***coughs again***

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fic at least a little! Drop me a review if you did~!**

**Merry Christmas, all! - Luna**


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